Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
I took out my phone and dialed my good friend's number.
"Xianyu, Han Ning, can you keep an eye out for any news?" I asked.
"Don't worry, we'll keep an eye on it," Xianyu replied readily.
"Thank you, Xianyu," I said.
After hanging up, I buried myself in work once more.
Days flew by in a blur of busyness and anxiety.
On August 20th, I finally received the exact news I had been waiting for.
I eagerly took out my phone and called my homeroom teacher.
"Hello, Ms. Xin," I said excitedly, "Do you have a moment?"
"Yes, what's up?" Ms. Xin's gentle voice came through.
"I have something I'd like to discuss with you," I said with enthusiasm, "It's about the subject competition next semester..."
"The subject competition?" Ms. Xin replied in surprise. "Do you want to participate?"
"Yes!" I answered firmly. "I want to give it a try!"
"That's great," Ms. Xin said with relief. "Which subjects are you planning to take?"
"I want to try them all," I replied.
"Then you need to prepare well," Ms. Xin reminded me.
"I will," I said confidently.
After hanging up the phone, I walked towards home, a smile spreading across my face.
Once I got home, I mustered the courage to tell my parents, "Mom and Dad, we have a solution for my brother's medical expenses. I'll be going back to school after the summer break!"
"No way!" Father rejected without hesitation.
"Why not?" I asked anxiously.
"Your grades are so poor; studying would just be a waste of time. You're already working at the factory, and that's good enough," Father said coldly.
"Dad, I'm in the top five of my grade; I'm not that bad," I pleaded.
"You barely passed last time, and now you're in the top five? Are you trying to fool me?" Father said impatiently.
"I've improved, and my teacher said I can participate in subject competitions. There's a chance to win prizes; I heard the first prize is eight thousand yuan." I had intended to keep the prize money a secret, but now it seemed that wouldn't work.
"Eight thousand, so much!" Father frowned, his expression still tense.
"Eight thousand!" Mother exclaimed with delight.
To get the money, my parents stopped discouraging me from returning to school.
The first prize in the competition was eight thousand, the second five thousand, and the third three thousand.
I didn't lie, but I didn't tell them how many subjects I participated in.
I signed up for every subject I could, five in total: Mathematics, Language, English, Physics, and Chemistry.
If I could get one first place and one third place, I would be able to keep three thousand.
Or if I got three third places, I could still keep one thousand.
How much I could keep depended on my rankings.
I mentioned the prize money to my homeroom teacher, and she communicated with the other subject teachers as well.
For the sake of college, I put in all my effort; my life revolved around studying. In the past, I would occasionally go out with friends, but that had stopped now.
Xianyu and Han Ning were very supportive of me.
Knowing about my situation, Xianyu's father, Uncle Zhang, even encouraged her to study with me.
Xianyu would occasionally say that now even I had become someone else's child, with Uncle Zhang pushing her to study hard.
These little complaints from Xianyu became one of the few spices in my life.
The day of the competition soon arrived.
I walked into the exam room, looking at the unfamiliar faces around me, took a deep breath, and calmed myself down.
The competition ended quickly.
I performed exceptionally well; winning was expected.
On the day the results were announced, Ms. Xin excitedly told me, "Li Shuang, you won the math championship, the runner-up in chemistry, and also the runner-up in physics!"
"Thank you, Ms. Xin," I replied with a joyful smile.
"This is all due to your hard work," Ms. Xin said with pride. "Given your excellent results, the school has decided to secure a recommendation spot for you."
"Really?" I exclaimed, my heart racing.
If I could get a recommendation, would that mean my parents would agree to let me continue my studies?
With mixed emotions, I returned home and nervously told my parents, "Dad, Mom, I won the math championship."
"That's good. Just remember to give me the prize money when it comes," Father replied indifferently.
"Okay, Father!" I said as I stood up. "I'm going back to my room to do my homework!"
"Go ahead!" Father waved his hand dismissively. Behind me, Mother asked, "Is she still supposed to read those books?"
I quickly entered my room and leaned against the door, straining to listen.
"What reading?" Father scoffed disdainfully. "What does it matter for a girl? No matter how good her results are, what can she achieve?"
"If she can get into a good university, it brings us honor too. Plus, we can hold a graduation banquet! Think of all the gifts!" Mother urged gently.
"That's true! But college tuition isn't cheap!"
"After the Graduation Banquet, we can let her go out to work and tell everyone she’s still in school. Later, we can say she made a mistake and got expelled."
My mother's words pierced my heart like a sharp blade.
I slid to the ground, tears streaming down my face uncontrollably. The depths of human malice always exceeded my worst fears. Just let me be weak for a moment. After I cry, I won’t hold any more expectations.
At the school gate, after saying goodbye, Zhao Hanning left ahead of me.
I watched her walk away, feeling a sense of loss in my heart.
As I turned to head home, I was suddenly blocked by several figures.
I looked up in shock to see my Father, Mother, and a few relatives standing before me.
“Dad, Mom, what are you doing here?” I asked in confusion.
“Li Shuang, how dare you lie to me!” My father glared at me, his voice harsh as he demanded, “Where did you hide the money?”
“What money?” I stared blankly at my father.
“Stop playing dumb!” he shouted angrily. “I heard you participated in more than one competition; what about the other money?”
My heart sank; had I been found out?
"Did you hide the money?"
At the school gate, a crowd had gathered due to the argument.
The discussions were lively!
"The top student hid money!"
"That's what her dad said!"
"They even came to the school; it must be true!"
"The top student's character isn't that great!"
With the help of the homeroom teacher and other staff, my classmates only knew that I had received a First Prize.
"I didn't!" I frowned and said, "There’s only so much money. Even though I participated in several competitions, I can't possibly win every award! Getting first place is already a huge achievement for me."
The murmurs grew louder.
"Wow, does Father think his daughter didn't win enough awards?"
"If I could get first place, my parents would be over the moon!"
"Exactly! And she's still not satisfied with just one first place!"
"Such greed, such greed."
"You still dare to argue!" Father shouted angrily, raising his hand. "Do you believe I won't beat you?"
I hurriedly stepped back a few paces to avoid Father's attack.
“Dad, you have to believe me, I really didn’t hide any money!” I pleaded anxiously.
“You saying that doesn’t mean anything!” Father shouted angrily.
He lunged at me, grabbing my arm and delivering a sharp slap to my face.
With a loud smack, my left cheek burned with pain.
“Dad!” I cried out, covering my left cheek as tears streamed uncontrollably down my face.
“Don’t call me Dad!” Father snapped, his anger palpable. “I don’t have a daughter like you!”
“Shuangshuang!” Mother said, her heart aching as she supported me, her eyes red. “You should apologize to your dad.”
“Mom, I really didn’t hide any money…” I sobbed.
“You’re still being stubborn!” Father shouted furiously, raising his hand again. “Just wait and see how I’ll teach you a lesson today!”
“Stop it!”
At that moment, a furious voice rang out.
Comment 0 Comment Count